ON THE AGENDA

Meetings

The Atlanta City Council meets Aug. 21 at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. Information: citycouncil.atlantaga.gov.

The Atlanta School Board meets Aug. 7 at 2:30 p.m. for a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 130 Trinity Ave. Information: atlantapublicschools.us.

Midtown Alliance will host Mix-It-Up Midtown socializing and networking event on Aug. 10 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at WeWork Colony Square. Information: MidtownAtl.com

NEWS

The Atlanta City Council approved an ordinance to enter into an intergovernmental contract with Invest Atlanta to secure a $26 million Homeless Opportunity Bond. The bond will be used to finance projects, primarily in housing, with the goal of making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring in the city.

MARTA is working on a mobile payment system that would allow customers to use a smartphone to pay for their ride on a bus or train.

The City of Decatur Public Facilities Authority has been awarded an $11,452,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority. The loan will finance the acquisition of 22.08 acres of land as part of the United Methodist Children’s Home land purchase of 77 total acres. This project will permanently protect the land for the purpose of conservation and public recreation.

Atlanta will once again take part in the Global Cities Initiative, a joint project of Brookings and JPMorgan Chase to help city-regions prioritize and execute economic partnerships with international counterparts.

A public hearing on Emory University’s petition to be annexed into the City of Atlanta will be held Aug. 10 by the Atlanta Zoning Review Board. The meeting will be held at City Hall starting at 6 p.m.

Emory formally filed a petition for annexation into the city on June 27, and DeKalb County has objected to it.

In a July 16 email to his constituents, DeKalb County Dist. 2 Commission Jeff Rader raised the alarm about Emory annexing request citing concerns about traffic, development standards and infrastructure.

Rader said Atlanta City Council members have no constituents in the surrounding unincorporated area, which is where the impact of new growth will fall. affect properties in Druids Hills, which is filled with historic homes.

Historic

By Collin Kelley

A notice of intent has been issued to nominate the Pratt-Pullman Yard in Kirkwood as a landmark site due to its historic, cultural and architectural significance. The nearly 26-acre site was recently sold by the state for $8 million to Atomic Entertainment, which plans to create a mixeduse development with a focus on filmmaking.

According to a statement from Councilmember Natalyn Archibong’s office, Atlanta Urban Design Commissioner Executive Director Doug Young initiated the nomination and designation process on June 20 for the property located at 225 Rogers Street, N.E. If the commission formally nominate the property for designation as a landmark site then the measure will go through the city’s regular procedure for all zoning papers. This includes another public hearing before the Zoning Review Board. It must also receive a recommendation from the Zoning Committee and final designation action from the Atlanta City Council. The protection will continue for a maximum of 180 days from the date of the notice of intent. During this period no alterations, renovations, additions, new construction, demolition or site work of any kind is permitted on the property

“If Atlanta extends MARTA onto the Emory Campus as they have proposed, there is likely to be new development stimulated by the new access, and only a portion of the related travel will be conveyed via MARTA,” Rader wrote. “Local streets like North Decatur, Clifton, Houston Mill, Biltmore, Lullwater, Springdale, Oakdale and Oxford and others would all bear the burden of increased traffic.”

Jeff Rader

Rader said he was also concerned about Atlanta’s “more permissive development standards and zoning policies” that might neighborhood. “I am pleased that a process is underway to allow for the preservation of the buildings at the Pratt-Pullman Yard. Some of the buildings on this property are more than 100 years old and today serve as a testament to Atlanta’s railroading history and to contributions made by African-American workers.” unless approved by the Office of Design’s Historic Preservation staff.

Rader said the city approached DeKalb proposing that the county continue to provide fire protection and emergency management services to the annexed areas, because Atlanta’s nearest fire station is in Virginia-Highland. “These matters could form the basis of collaboration should the annexation occur, but DeKalb has been unsuccessful in getting Atlanta to recognize or discuss the destabilizing impact that such an intrusive annexation into unincorporated DeKalb would have,” Rader said.

In 1904, the site began as the home of Pratt Engineering and Machine Company, a parts manufacturer for sugar and fertilizer processing plants. In 1917, the property manufactured munitions used by soldiers in World War I.

Commissioner Tim Keane of the Department of City Planning said he has spoken with Atomic Entertainment and said the new owners will be involved in the preservation process.

“I have spoken with the owner and Atlanta is lucky to have them involved,” Keane said. “We expect a very positive collaboration with them to protect the historic buildings and the unique qualities of the site as they implement their plan for development.”

“This is a giant leap forward in our quest to preserve such a unique piece of our city’s history,” said Archibong, who represents this historic Kirkwood

Kids start hitting the books again this month

Local school systems will resume classes for the 2017-2018 academic year this month. Here are some helpful dates and information for those who have kids heading back to school.

Atlanta Public Schools

The new school year kicks off with a new, even earlier start date: Tuesday, Aug. 1. For those already thinking about vacations, the Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 20-24; winter break is Dec. 25 (last day of class is Friday, Dec. 22) until Jan. 8; spring break is April 2-6 and the last day of school will be May 25. For more information, visit atlantapublicschools.us.

City Schools of Decatur

Decatur’s public schools will also resume on Tuesday, Aug. 1, and the system will follow APS’s break schedule as above. For more information, visit csdecatur.net.

Fulton County Schools

The 2017-2018 school year starts on Monday, Aug. 7, for thousands of children in Fulton County. There will be a projected enrollment of approximately 96,500 students – an expected increase of about 800 students from the previous school year. The Thanksgiving holiday is Nov. 20-24; winter break is Dec. 22 to Jan. 8; spring break is

In 1922, Chicago-based Pullman Company purchased the property and turned it into a rail car repair station. It was during a time when the site was a major employer in Atlanta. In a segregated South, Pullman’s Atlanta shop manager began recruiting black workers from local porters and car cleaners. The company became one of the largest employers of AfricanAmericans in the country.

The Pratt-Pullman Yard is comprised of 100,000 square feet of historic buildings and sits on 25.88 acres. Atomic Entertainment wants to create studio space for young filmmakers and also provide an affordable housing, retail restaurants and office space.